Admissions Conference 2021

Run with Clare
For those of you who are runners, start each day of the conference off with a run with Clare.  There will be a running group set up on Strava (details available nearer the time), to see how many miles are clocked up across the country over the duration of the event. 

Mindfulness and meditation
This session will consist of a guided meditation in which you will be able to experience true relaxation without having to do anything yourself. Lily will be providing strategies for you to take away and practice in your own life. Simple mindset shifts that will allow you to look at things differently. Lily will also run over a breathing exercise which you can use after the session to significantly reduce stress. The session will finish with a Q&A which will give you the opportunity to ask any questions regarding mindfulness or meditation. 
Lily Shervington teaches yoga and meditation online with the aim of helping people achieve a sense of calm within their day to day lives. The power of mindfulness and meditation is indescribable. The mindset shift that can be achieved is very powerful and can transform your life into a calmer and happier one. 

Singing for pleasure
This session will focus on the pleasure we can experience from singing. The session will introduce the idea that we are all singers and we can all experience the joy of singing in our day to day lives. Each session will feature a body warm up, voice exploration through exercises, and singing songs. Participants will gain knowledge of how the voice works, develop confidence in their singing and the opportunity to use imagination and creativity to explore songs. Participants will be sent lyrics in advance of the sessions and will receive a PDF with vocal exercises and ideas to keep after the sessions are completed.
The sessions are suitable for first time singers, shy singers and experienced singers, will be suitable for all ages and family friendly.  Everybody is welcome.

Lindsay Martin is a singing teacher, choir leader and singer working throughout Gloucestershire, Worcester and online. Lindsay loves to work with singers from all ages and backgrounds,  facilitating workshops that break down barriers to singing and encourage participants to celebrate and enjoy exploring their voices and singing songs.

Pilates is a full body exercise method that will help you do everything better. First coined 'Contrology' and created by Joseph Pilates as a way to calm the mind and recondition the body back into its optimum state. He used his unique brand of physical activity to rehabilitate injured army recruits and later as a way to prevent common imbalances and injuries in athletes and dancers. Now, due to it's low impact, effective nature Pilates can be adapted for all bodies and physical fitness levels which is why you'll find everyone from Premier League football players to your grandparents getting onto the mat. 

This session will look at rebalancing your body through the Pilates Method with a focus on full body fitness, core strength and working every muscle. We will look at how to engage your core properly with an exercise that you can take into daily life and there will be plenty of levels available to you so this session will be suitable whether you've taken Pilates regularly or if you're a complete beginner. 

Emily Andrew has been teaching Pilates for over 7 years and has built up a large client base of personal and corporate clients. She runs regular classes as well as specialised 1-1s & 2-1s for a range of clients who either have specific goals, are recovering from serious accidents or have long term illnesses which require specialist support.

Baking
Let them eat cake! A common cry during the various lockdowns and why not. Baking has many stress relieving therapeutic qualities, not least of all the eating of the end result! Join Peter Derrick, UCAS’ resident cake fan and amateur baker, for this family friendly baking session.  

We will be making Nigella’s infamous emergency brownie!

You will need:

Unsalted butter - 50g
Soft light brown Sugar - 50g
Maple Syrup or Golden Syrup - 1 tablespoon/15ml
Plain Flour - 3 tablespoons
Cocoa Powder - 3 tablespoons
Sea Salt Flakes - ¼ Teaspoon
Egg - 1 large
Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
Walnuts/Pecans/Hazelnuts (Optional) - 50g
Chocolate Chips (Any type) - 50g (if not adding the nuts, an extra 50g of chocolate chips)

You will also need:

Oven
Scales
Tablespoon measure
Teaspoon measure
Small Saucepan
Spatula or wooden spoon
Fork/Knife
Foil tin/tin/ceramic dish (18x11x5cm approximately)

Nutrition  
In the current climate looking after and optimising our health has never been more important. But what can we do to help ourselves?
Find out how stress, poor sleep, poor digestion and poor food choices can lead to chronic health conditions and a reduced quality of life. It’s about understanding the root causes rather than simply treating symptoms. The body is amazing and wants to heal itself; given the right environment, it can thrive. Learn some tips on how to improve your sleep, manage your stress response, aid recovery, support digestion and make the right food choices. 

Joanna Keogh is a registered nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner.  Joanna is passionate about helping her clients optimise their health. She practises an integrative, science-based healthcare approach and works with clients to help make long term, long lasting health changes.

Admissions Conference Quiz 
Join Louise Evans and Peter Derrick, your quiz hosts, and their sparkly jackets for an hour and a half of quizzing fun. 
You can bring together a team from your university or college, take part as a family or by yourself and you can, or course, make up a team with other delegates.  The choice is yours.